A Congressman Is Calling For Magic To Be Recognized As A "National Treasure"

Magic may no longer just exist in the recesses of the American imagination. Rep. Peter Sessions, a Republican from Texas, introduced a Congressional resolution Monday recognizing magic as "a rare and valuable art form and national treasure."

Sessions, who is chairman of the House Rules Committee, introduced the resolution to advance Texas state and local efforts to recognize magic as an art form.

Eric Hogue, mayor of Wylie City and a self-described magician who called on Sessions to introduce the federal resolution, said in 2014 that the art classification opens the door for magicians to apply for corporate grants to fund visits to children's hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.

The 711-word resolution reads as a passionate ode to magic, describing it as "an art form with the unique power and potential to impact the lives of all people."

Magic, states the resolution, "enables people to experience the impossible" and is "used to inspire and bring wonder and happiness to others."

"Magic has had a significant impact on other art
forms...like the great art forms of dance, literature,
theater, film, and the visual arts," the resolution states. The arts allow "people to experience something that transcends the written word."

The resolution also notes that Leonardo da Vinci co-wrote one of the very first books on magic, and that British science fiction writer Arthur Clarke claimed "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Magic is a "unifying force across cultural, religious, ethnic, and age differences" and "transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary," the resolution states.

The resolution honors David Copperfield, an Emmy-winning illusionist, who "has impacted every aspect of the global entertainment industry" and "inspires great positive change in the lives of Americans."

(Getty Images for Ride of Fame/Photo by Dave Kotinsky)

Hogue even gets a nod in the resolution for promoting the art of magic with official proclamations, educational programs, and Texas' first festival dedicated to magic.

"Magic is timeless in appeal and requires only the capacity to dream," the resolution states. But it has not "been accorded the institutional status on a national level commensurate with its value and importance."

The resolution adds that it is in "the best interest of national welfare to preserve and celebrate" magic.

The resolution ultimately calls for Congress to recognize magic as "a rare and valuable art form and national treasure" and to support "efforts to make certain magic is preserved, understood, and promulgated."